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'It's crazy and heartbreaking': Lack of paid family leave still a problem in US

'It's crazy and heartbreaking': Lack of paid family leave still a problem in US

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Updated: 11:07 AM EDT Aug 2, 2018

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WEBVTT SOLEDAD: THESE MOMS ARE PUSHING CONGRESS TO FINALLY TAKE ACTION. I AM SOLEDAD O’BRIEN. WELCOME TO "MATTER OF FACT COME KOKE TO YOU FROM NEW YORK CITY. THIS WEEKEND’S MARCH FOR -- MATTER OF FAC," COMING TO YOU FROM NEW YORK CITY. THIS WEEKEND’S MARCH FOR MOMS ADDRESSES CONVOCATIONS WITH PREGNANCY AND CHILDBIRTH. BRBLACK WOMEN ARE THREE TO FOUR TIMES MORE LIKELY TO DIE IN CHILDBIRTH. MORE THAN HALF OF THOSE DEATHS ARE CONSIDERED PREVENTABLE. KRISTI TURLINGTON BECAME AN ADVOCATE FOR MATERNAL HEALTH AFTER EXPERIENCING PROBLEMS WITH THE BIRTH OF HER FIRST CHILD. SHE NOW HEADS THE NONPROFIT EVERY MOTHER COUNTS. LISA IS AN OB/GYN WHO SPECIALIZES IN MATERNAL MEDICINE. TAKE US BACK TO YOUR CHILD’S BIRTH. WHAT WENT WRONG? CHRISTIE: I CAME INTO MOTHERHOOD PREPARED AND READY FOR THIS EXPERIENCE, AND I HAD A LOT OF OPTIONS. I LIVE IN NEW YORK CITY. I WANTED TO HAVE AN UNMEDICATED BIRTH, SO I HAD A MIDWIFE. I ALSO HAD BACKUP IN CASE THINGS DID NOT GO AS PLANNED. THE DELIVERY WENT FINE, BUT THERE ARE STILL THINGS HAPPENING. THERE’S STILL BIRTHING THAT’S HAPPENING. SO I DID NOT DELIVER MY PLACENTA AS YOU NORMALLY WOULD IN A VERY STRAIGHTFORWARD WAY. AND BECAUSE OF THAT THE DOCTOR NEEDED TO BE CALLED AND I HEMORRHAGED. I LOST A LOT OF BLOOD. AND COMING OUT OF THE EXPERIENCE I HAD A LOT OF QUESTIONS. AND I CAME ACROSS STAGGERING INFORMATION AT THE TIME WHICH WAS THAT POSTPARTUM HEMORRHAGE WAS THE LEADING CAUSE OF DEATH FOR GIRLS AND WOMEN AROUND THE WORLD AND THAT WE WERE LOSING HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF WOMEN EVERY YEAR SOLEDAD: IT’S A CRAZY STATISTIC, AND NOT JUST AROUND THE GLOBE. IF YOU FOCUS ON THE UNITED STATES, OTHER DEVELOPED COUNTRIES ARE MAKING A LOT OF PROGRESS ON MATERNAL CHILD HEALTH, BUT THE U.S. IS DOING WORSE. WHY IS THAT? >> THE REASONS ARE MANY. IT STEMS FROM EDUCATION OF THE MOM TO MULTISYSTEM PROBLEMS WITHIN THE ORGANIZATION OF HOSPITALS. SOLEDAD: IT DEFINITELY FEELS LIKE PEOPLE ARE STARTING TO HAVE A CONVERSATION IN WAYS WE WERE NOT HAVING EVEN FIVE YEARS AGO. IT WAS ALSO SHOCKING -- I FEEL LIKE I HAVE USED THE WORD SHOCKING A BUNCH OF TIMES -- THAT BLACK WOMEN HAVE A MORTALITY RATE 3-4 TIMES HIGHER THAN THEIR WHITE COUNTERPARTS. I THINK OFTENTIMES WE THINK OF THAT AS A CORRELATION WITH SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS, BUT IF YOU ADJUST FOR THOSE AND CONTROL FOR THOSE, COLLEGE-EDUCATED BLACK WOMEN AND MIDDLE-CLASS BLACK WOMEN ARE MORE LIKELY TO DIE IN CHILDBIRTH. WHY IS THAT? LIKE SOME OF THAT IS RELATED TO CHRONIC ILLNESSES. THERE IS A HIGHER RATE OF CHRONIC DISEASE LIKE DIABETES, HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE. BUT EVEN WITHOUT THOSE PROBLEMS, THERE IS A HIGHER RATE OF MORTALITY AND WE NEED TO DRILL DOWN ON THAT. THAT IS ONE OF THE NEW INITIATIVES THAT ARE COMING OUT TO ADDRESS WHETHER RACIAL DISPARITIES ARE RELATED TO THIS INCREASE IN MORTALITIES. SO, THESE BUNDLES HAVE BEEN INTRODUCED THROUGH THE ALLIANCE FOR MATERNAL CHILD HEALTH SO THAT HOSPITALS THROUGHOUT THE UNITED STATES CAN BEGIN TO IMPLEMENT THESE CARE PACKAGES. THE BUNDLES ARE SIMILAR TO WHEN YOU FLY ON DELTA AND AMERICAN, IF THE PLANE IS TURBULENT, THEY TELL YOU TO PUT UP YOUR TRAY AND RAISE YOUR SEAT. THESE ARE EVIDENCE-BASED PROTOCOLS HOSPITALS CAN U SO THAT EVERY TIME SOMETHING HAPPENS, THEY DO THE SAME THING. THE PATIENT IS HEMORRHAGING, WE CALL THE BLOOD BANK, WE PUT AN IV IN. SOLEDAD: YOU HAVE BEEN DOING THIS WORK SINCE YOUR FIRST CHILD WAS BORN. DO YOU SEE PROGRESS GLOBALLY? CHRIST GLOBALLY, TREMENDOUS PROGRESS. THAT’S THE THING THAT IS SO STRIKING ABOUT THE U.S. WE WERE RANKED 41ST. TODAY, WE ARE RANKED 46TH. WE HAVE FALLEN FURTHER BEHIND. THAT IS WHAT’S BEGGING THE QUESTION. WE MADE INCREDIBLE IMPROVEMENTS IN THE 1930’S, BROUGHT THESE RATES DOWN VERY, VERY LOW, AND NOW WE HAVE SEEN A RISE IN THE LAST TWO DECADES OR SO. THE OUTCOMES ARE PROVEN TO BE SO MUCH STRONGER WHEN YOU HAVE SOMEBODY BY YOUR SIDE GOING THROUGH THIS.

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'It's crazy and heartbreaking': Lack of paid family leave still a problem in US

Rachel Perry still remembers the heartache of returning to work when her son, now 3, was just 9 weeks old.“It’s really hard to adjust going back to work when you have a newborn. It’s just a huge life change,” said Perry, 34, of Springfield, Pa. “It still just blows my mind. “It’s crazy and heartbreaking,” she added.The sudden adjustment to motherhood in the United States can be tough, particularly for working moms.Perry returned to work after exhausting her 12 weeks of leave offered through the Family and Medical Leave Act, also known as FMLA. Her employer offered 60 percent of her paid salary during that time.“It’s a very short period of time to heal,” she said.But that’s fairly typical in the United States, since only about 12 percent of U.S. private sector employees have access to paid family leave through their employer, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.However, some states are changing that. There are currently four states — California, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and New York — that offer paid family and medical leave, according to the National Partnership for Women & Families.Washington, Massachusetts and Washington D.C. have also passed paid family leave laws that will take effect over the next few years.FMLA provides up to:12 weeks leaveunpaidjob-protectionSome in Congress have proposed legislation to make FMLA paid.Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fl.) announced a paid family leave bill on Aug. 1. The bill gives families the option to pull money from future Social Security benefits. “In exchange for delaying their retirement by three to six months, parents would receive a benefit roughly equal to the amount they’re giving up later,” he said in an opinion piece published in USA Today on Aug. 1.Rep. Ann Wagner (R-Mo.) will be introducing a similar house bill later this year.In the meantime, though, new mothers are still returning to work after spending a few weeks or months with their little ones.Katie Ranck hoped to have more time off to bond with her two children, Benjamin, 9, and Bridget, 13 months.“More time would’ve been fabulous,” said Ranck, 36, of Perrysburg, Ohio.She opted not to use FMLA for her son, who she adopted when he was 19 months old since the time would be unpaid. She was offered eight weeks of paid time for her daughter because she was delivered by C-section.That included a combination of full pay and 60 percent pay. She also had to use all of her vacation days.“My daughter had been born four weeks early so she was so small to begin with,” Ranck said. “All I wanted to do was snuggle her. But I did get antsy to get back (to work.)”Many countries, by comparison, offer much more time off.Bulgaria offers more than a year of paid maternity leave to new mothers, more than any other country, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. United Kingdom and the Czech Republic are other countries that offer at least six months of paid leave.Perry said she wished American mothers could be offered more time to bond with their little ones, ideally a year or more.She is now expecting her second child and will receive nearly four months of time off, which will be a combination of FMLA and short-term disability. She can also choose to extend her time off if she opts to use her vacation days.She said she’s grateful to have a family-friendly employer.But, she added, “No amount of time ever feels like quite enough.”PGRpdiBjbGFzcz0iaW5mb2dyYW0tZW1iZWQiIGRhdGEtaWQ9ImU5NjM5YWYyLTJkNzktNDFjNC05ZWFlLWU2OTk4YzJkZDlkOCIgZGF0YS10eXBlPSJpbnRlcmFjdGl2ZSIgZGF0YS10aXRsZT0iUGFpZCBQYXJlbnRhbCBMZWF2ZSI+PC9kaXY+PHNjcmlwdD4hZnVuY3Rpb24oZSx0LG4scyl7dmFyIGk9IkluZm9ncmFtRW1iZWRzIixvPWUuZ2V0RWxlbWVudHNCeVRhZ05hbWUodClbMF0sZD0vXmh0dHA6Ly50ZXN0KGUubG9jYXRpb24pPyJodHRwOiI6Imh0dHBzOiI7aWYoL15cL3syfS8udGVzdChzKSYmKHM9ZCtzKSx3aW5kb3dbaV0mJndpbmRvd1tpXS5pbml0aWFsaXplZCl3aW5kb3dbaV0ucHJvY2VzcyYmd2luZG93W2ldLnByb2Nlc3MoKTtlbHNlIGlmKCFlLmdldEVsZW1lbnRCeUlkKG4pKXt2YXIgYT1lLmNyZWF0ZUVsZW1lbnQodCk7YS5hc3luYz0xLGEuaWQ9bixhLnNyYz1zLG8ucGFyZW50Tm9kZS5pbnNlcnRCZWZvcmUoYSxvKX19KGRvY3VtZW50LCJzY3JpcHQiLCJpbmZvZ3JhbS1hc3luYyIsImh0dHBzOi8vZS5pbmZvZ3JhbS5jb20vanMvZGlzdC9lbWJlZC1sb2FkZXItbWluLmpzIik7PC9zY3JpcHQ+PGRpdiBzdHlsZT0icGFkZGluZzo4cHggMDtmb250LWZhbWlseTpBcmlhbCFpbXBvcnRhbnQ7Zm9udC1zaXplOjEzcHghaW1wb3J0YW50O2xpbmUtaGVpZ2h0OjE1cHghaW1wb3J0YW50O3RleHQtYWxpZ246Y2VudGVyO2JvcmRlci10b3A6MXB4IHNvbGlkICNkYWRhZGE7bWFyZ2luOjAgMzBweCI+PGEgaHJlZj0iaHR0cHM6Ly9pbmZvZ3JhbS5jb20vZTk2MzlhZjItMmQ3OS00MWM0LTllYWUtZTY5OThjMmRkOWQ4IiBzdHlsZT0iY29sb3I6Izk4OTg5OCFpbXBvcnRhbnQ7dGV4dC1kZWNvcmF0aW9uOm5vbmUhaW1wb3J0YW50OyIgdGFyZ2V0PSJfYmxhbmsiPkluZm9ncmFwaGljIE1vZGVybjwvYT48YnI+PGEgaHJlZj0iaHR0cHM6Ly9pbmZvZ3JhbS5jb20iIHN0eWxlPSJjb2xvcjojOTg5ODk4IWltcG9ydGFudDt0ZXh0LWRlY29yYXRpb246bm9uZSFpbXBvcnRhbnQ7IiB0YXJnZXQ9Il9ibGFuayIgcmVsPSJub2ZvbGxvdyI+SW5mb2dyYW08L2E+PC9kaXY+

Rachel Perry still remembers the heartache of returning to work when her son, now 3, was just 9 weeks old.

“It’s really hard to adjust going back to work when you have a newborn. It’s just a huge life change,” said Perry, 34, of Springfield, Pa. “It still just blows my mind.

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The sudden adjustment to motherhood in the United States can be tough, particularly for working moms.

Perry returned to work after exhausting her 12 weeks of leave offered through the Family and Medical Leave Act, also known as FMLA. Her employer offered 60 percent of her paid salary during that time.

“It’s a very short period of time to heal,” she said.

Rachel Perry

Rachel Perry with her son.

But that’s fairly typical in the United States, since only about 12 percent of U.S. private sector employees have access to paid family leave through their employer, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.

Rep. Ann Wagner (R-Mo.) will be introducing a similar house bill later this year.

In the meantime, though, new mothers are still returning to work after spending a few weeks or months with their little ones.

Katie Ranck hoped to have more time off to bond with her two children, Benjamin, 9, and Bridget, 13 months.

“More time would’ve been fabulous,” said Ranck, 36, of Perrysburg, Ohio.

Katie Ranck

Katie Ranck with her family.

She opted not to use FMLA for her son, who she adopted when he was 19 months old since the time would be unpaid. She was offered eight weeks of paid time for her daughter because she was delivered by C-section.

That included a combination of full pay and 60 percent pay. She also had to use all of her vacation days.

“My daughter had been born four weeks early so she was so small to begin with,” Ranck said. “All I wanted to do was snuggle her. But I did get antsy to get back (to work.)”

Many countries, by comparison, offer much more time off.

Bulgaria offers more than a year of paid maternity leave to new mothers, more than any other country, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. United Kingdom and the Czech Republic are other countries that offer at least six months of paid leave.

Perry said she wished American mothers could be offered more time to bond with their little ones, ideally a year or more.

She is now expecting her second child and will receive nearly four months of time off, which will be a combination of FMLA and short-term disability. She can also choose to extend her time off if she opts to use her vacation days.